Law School Lecture Series Unravels the Financial Crisis

Lexington, VA • Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The financial crisis that emerged in the U.S. in 2007 has wrought havoc on financial systems and economies around the world. In a series of lectures between Mar. 16 and 22, Washington and Lee law faculty will discuss the causes and consequences of the crisis.

This lecture series is sponsored by the American Constitution Society and the Business Law Society. The events are open to the public at no charge.

On Tuesday, Mar. 16, Prof. Christopher Bruner will provide an overview of the crisis, describing the dangerous build-up of leverage and risk in the U.S. financial system through the development of complex "securitized" financial products, notably mortgage-backed securities.

On Thursday, Mar. 18, Prof. Adam Scales will describe the role of credit default swaps in the crisis and assess the regulatory challenges they pose.

And finally, on Monday, Mar. 22, Prof. Lyman Johnson and Prof. David Millon will join Bruner and Scales for a panel discussion on various regulatory efforts to contain the damage and reform the financial system to prevent such a catastrophe from occurring again.